Essay/Term paper: Luxembourg

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Geography

Location Luxembourg is located in

Europe and is bordered by Belgium, Germany and France.

On a map, it is located at 50 N latitude and 6 E longitude.

Luxembourg is very small. It is only 998 square miles, which

is roughly the size of Orange County, California. All the

country is inhabited, with most people living in the southern

part. The Flag The flag of Luxembourg was adopted in

1845. The colors come from the Coat of Arms of

Luxembourg and are red, white and blue. The flag is simply

three horizontal stripes from top to bottom. The Land and

People Luxembourg has two distinct regions. The Ardennes,

or northern region, is mountainous. The Bon Pays, or

southern region, is mostly fertile farmland. The climate is cool

and moist, with snow in the mountains. There are rich

deposits of iron ore creating many jobs in the steel industry.

There is also fertile farmland to the south, also creating many

jobs in farming. The people of Luxembourg have no native

costume. They borrow much of their culture from Belgium,

Germany, and France. Today, modern Luxembourgers

dress like other Europeans. The people of Luxembourg like

to eat smoked pork and beans, and sometimes saurkraut.

Smoked ham is available all year round, and pastries are a

Luxembourg favorite. Some of these pastries include rolls,

muffins, cupcakes, and a special dry cake translated

"Random Thoughts". Luxembourg makes beer and wine

which is sold there and in other nearby countries. The

buildings in Luxembourg vary from place to place. Some

villages have charming old houses hundreds of years old,

though in the cities there are many modern apartment and

office buildings. For recreation, a Luxembourger might ride a

bike, or hike in the countryside. A favorite sport of the

people is volleyball. For transportaion they have railroads

and highways for cars and buses. There are bike trails and

hiking paths as well. Luxembourg doesn't have a culture all

its own, because it ties in with its neighboring countries,

Belgium, Germany, and France. The natural resources of

Luxembourg are: iron ore, which is processed into steel,

farm products such as wheat, corn and livestock, and grapes

which are grown for winemaking. Technology The main

industries of Luxembourg are steel and winemaking. Farming

is also an important industry, especially with such crops as

corn, wheat and livestock. The steel is exported and crops

are exported, as well as used in Luxembourg. Also the wine

made in Luxembourg is exported and sold there. Culture

There is a lot of culture in Luxembourg. There are many art

galleries featuring work from the expressionist painter,

Joseph Kutter, and also that of Edward Steichen, a well

known photographer. Both of these artists are from

Luxembourg. The cathedrals are examples of some of the

beautiful architecture found in Luxembourg. In the villages,

there are buildings dating back to the 1100's, 1300's,

1700's, as well as the early 1900's. A trip through the

villages is like taking a trip through time because of these old

homes that are still lived in. As far as music, every village,

suburb and town has at least a band, orchestra or choral

group. Luxembourgers love parades, and have them often.

Every parade has at least half a dozen bands. Their

enjoyment of music is so great, that at the end of every

summer, Luxembourg has a music competition that involves

the whole country. Government The government of

Luxembourg is a constitutional monarchy. The grand duke or

duchess serves as monarch and chief executive. The

monarchy is a hereditary office, and the sixty-four member

parliament, called the Chamber of Deputies, makes the laws.

The monarch appoints the prime minister and all of the ten

Cabinet ministers to carry out government operations. The

twenty-one member advisory body, or the Council of State,

are appointed for life. The local government is carried out by

dividing Luxembourg into districts, which are headed by the

commissioner. The districts are divided into cantons, and

these are divided into communes, which are headed by

elected officials. The monarch presently in charge is Grand

Duke Jean, who has been in power since 1964. Jacques

Santer has been the Premier of Luxembourg since 1984.

The monarch's term is for life or until he or she steps down.

The Premier, appointed by the monarch, stays in leadership

as long as he has the support of a majority of parliament

members. The parliament members are elected by the

people for five-year terms. Religion Ninety-five percent of

Luxembourg is Catholic, although there are some Protestants

and Jews. Although there is no information about missionary

activity in Luxembourg, freedom of religion has always been

a tradition there. Other Interesting Information Even though

Luxembourg is an extremely small country, they have

managed to stay independant. In fact, the National Motto is

translated: "We want to remain what we are". The

Luxembourg-based Bank of Credit and Commerce

International, in 1990, pleaded guilty to charges of money

laundering from drug trafficking. What I Found Most

Interesting I discovered that such a small country as

Luxembourg could have so much history and stay

independant for over 1,000 years. GLOSSARY Ardennes:

The name for the mountainous region of Luxembourg. Bon

Pays: French for "good land", it refers to the fertile farmland

in the southern region of Luxembourg. Expressionist Painter:

An artist that paints in a style made popular after World War

I, in which the painting expresses emotion, instead of just

showing a scene. Hereditary: Passed on to the offspring.

Monarchy: A government run by a monarch, such as a king,

queen or other ruler. BIBLIOGRAPHY Fodor's Belgium

and Luxembourg. Ed. Richard Moore. New York: Fodor's

Travel Publications, Inc., 1989. Hoffman, Mark S., Ed.

World Almanac Book of Facts. New York: Random

House, Inc., 1987. Johnson, Otto, et al., eds. Information

Please Almanac Atlas and Yearbook. Boston: Houghton

Mifflin Co., 1992. Lepthien, Emilie V., Luxembourg.

Chicago: Children's Press, 1989. Raachlis, Eugene. The

Low Countries. New York: Time Inc., 1963. World Book

Encyclopedia. Vol. 12. Chicago: World Book, Inc., 1987.